Carton



July 6, 1943. M KENNEDY 2,323,779

CARTON Filed Nov. 24, 1941 6 Ker-he y Patented July 6, W43

UNITED STATES-FATE"? GFFHQE CARTON Leo M. Kennedy, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, as-

signor to Marathon Paper Mills Company, a corporation of Wisconsin Application November 24, 1941, Serial No. 420,319

1 Claim.

a flat at its side adapted to overlie and be gummed to the other end member. Integral with the ends of certain of these members are flaps which in combination form a closure for each end of the carton.

Instead of removing the contents from the end of the carton, it is preferred to open the carton along one side to facilitate the flattening of the carton to expose the contents for dividing the contents into portionsfor use or serving.

The object of this invention, therefore, is to provide means for severing the carton on a longitudinal line to facilitate the opening thereof.

I attain my object by incorporating in the carton a tearing member, which comprises a cord comprising a plurality of threads arranged so that the cord will positively remain in place during the folding and filling of the carton, and which will ensure a positive and complete tear of the carton along its whole length.

The invention is hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which I Fig. l is a plan view of the blank from which the carton is formed with the tear cord in position;

Fig. 2 a perspective view of the closed carton;

Fig. 3 an enlarged sectional detail illustrating the tear cord.

Fig. 4 is a 'fragmental view of an outer portion of the blank showing the tear cord, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmental view of the inner face of the same portion of the blank.

In the drawing like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

In Fig. 1 is shown a carton blank, which is in the main of ordinary construction. The blank comprises a bottom I, side walls 2 and 3 hingedly connected with the opposite sides thereof, and a top flap 4 hingedly connected with the sides 3. At the ends of these sections are connected flaps which are adapted to fold in to form the ends of the carton. These end flaps may be cut and folded in various ways, and the particular arrangement shown is only one method of several which would answer the purpose.

Integral with the top 4 is a narrow flap 5 which is'ordinarily gummed and secured to the upper edge of the side wall 2.

For certain products, such as bricks of ice cream, it is preferred to open the box longitudinally of one of the sides instead of removing the material from the end, the purpose being that it is preferred that the carton be opened into flat condition so that the contents may remain seated on the flattened carton.

To facilitate this longitudinal opening of the carton, I provide a tear member 6 of particular construction. This tear member is formed as a flexible cord which comprises a plurality of threads which are woven or stitched together through the material of the carton; that only a single thread 8 appears at the outer face of the carton as shown in Fig. 4, while at the inner face of the carton the stitching or interlocking of the threads forms a comparatively continuous thick cord as shown in Fig. 5.

The single thread on the outer face is comparatively inconspicuous when of the same color as the carton stock, while the cord formed by the interlocked threads at the inside face is of a strength suificient to ensure complete severance of the carton wall along the line of the cord.

The tear cord will preferably be positioned along one of'the corner fold lines, and will project a distance beyond the end to form a finger grip.

For the purpose of making the extending end of the cord more conspicuous an inside thread will be of a contrasting color, and therefore said extending end comprises interlocked threads of two colors.

The carton will also be given a finish or coating of a waterproofing agent so that it will not be affected by the contents, and this waterproofing agent will be applied to the carton after the cord has been stitched into place. The waterproofing agent willtherefore comprise a parafiin wax composition or other material, which will fill up and seal the holes formed in securing the tear cord in place.

It will be seen that I have devised a very effective tear member which may be permanently positioned while the cartons are in the fiat, and which will not interfere in any way with the filling or folding of the carton, and which will effectively make a complete severance along the cord line, and thus enable the carton to be flattened out to render the contents accessible.

It will be apparent, therefore, that an important feature of the invention is the providing of most of the strength of the tear cord inside the carton, and for heavier paper stock, if desired, one or more extra threads may be incorporated in the cord at the inner face of the blank. The thread which passes through the blank need only be sufficiently strong to maintain the tear cord in place.

What I claim as my invention is:

An integral blank for a carton comprising a plurality of side walls hingedly connected together along spaced fold lines, and a flexible tear cord extending longitudinally along and in coinciding relation with one of the fold lines throughout the length thereof and projecting beyond 10 one end thereof, said tear cord comprising a plurality of interwoven threads arranged to have only one of said threads stitched and passed LEO M. KENNEDY. 

